Vocabulary and
Literary Terms
Review
Metaphor
A figure of speech that expresses an idea through the
image of another object.
Metaphor Example
The rain came down in long knitting needles.
Personification
Giving human qualities to non-living things.
Personification
Example
My dinner loves dancing.
Simile
Comparing two unlike things using “like” or “as.”
Example of Simile
Embarrassed as a bald guy in a
barber shop.
Hyperbole
An extreme exaggeration.
Example of Hyperbole
That movie went on forever.
Pun
A play on words.
Example of Pun
How do I handle change? I put it in the parking meter!
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates a sound.
Example of
Onomatopoeia
Alliteration
Repeating the letter sound at the beginning of words in a
sentence.
Example of Alliteration
The Trick-or-Treat & Tummy Trouble Troll terrified
toothless twirps with tacky tweets and tasteless
tokens of twaddle!
Symbolism
The practice of representing things by symbols.
Example of Symbolism
Paradox
A seemingly true statement or group of statements that
lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy
logic or intuition.
Example of Paradox
Allusion
An implied reference in literature to a familiar person,
place or event.
Example of Allusion
Milhouse, from The Simpsons on falling in love:
"It was just like Romeo and Juliet, only it ended in tragedy."
Episode: When Milhouse has a girlfriend.
Imagery
Words that appeal to your senses: sight, taste, touch,
hearing, & smelling: figurative language.
Example of Imagery
On a starry winter night in Portugal
Where the ocean kissed the southern shore
There a dream I never thought would come to pass
Came and went like time spent through an hourglass
Synonym
Different words with almost identical or similar meanings.
Example of Synonym
Smooth and silky
Antonyms
A word opposite in meaning to another.
Example of Antonyms
Night and day
Analogy
A similarity between like features of two things, on which
a comparison may be based.
Example of Analogy
Night is to day as water is to fire.
Slang
A common use of language that is not usually acceptable
in formal situations.
Example of Slang
The party was fun –
The party was “Off the Hook!”
Formal Language
Language which follows all proper conventions of English
grammar and usage.
Connotation
Using a word to mean something other than the
dictionary definition.
Denotation
Using a word to mean exactly what the dictionary says.
Example of Connotation
and Denotation
Stop Sign
Denotation—Stop (even without words, we
recognize the meaning from the shape and color)
Connotation—Risk (accident or ticket)
Prefix
An affix put before a word to alter its meaning.
Example of Prefix
Dis – in disbelieve is a prefix.
Suffix
Groups of Letters placed after a word to change its
meaning.
Example of Suffix
Adding “ly” to quiet turns it into to quietly. With the “ly”
being the suffix.
Root Word
A word in which prefixes and suffixes can be added.
Example of Root Word
“Help” is the root word in helpful.
Tone
The attitude of the author (serious or humorous)
Homophone
Words that are pronounced alike, but have different
spelling or meaning.
Example of
Homophones
Dear/deer
Legends
A story about mythical or supernatural beings or events.
Example of a Legend
Johnny Appleseed
Fable
A narrative story that has a moral. Animals with human
characteristics often serve as characters in a fable.
Example of a Fable
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/85716/85716,1302879806,2/stockphoto-bald-man-sleeping-in-empty-movie-theater-75312037.jpg
http://www.familypoet.com/2003/07/01/bald-mans-lament/
http://www.westegg.com/simpsons/
http://englishvg1.wikispaces.com/Milhouse+Van+Houten
http://www.chacha.com/topic/romeo-and-juliet-play
http://fivecrispsandadog.blogspot.com/
http://justglasssite.com/tag/hourglass-pics
http://day-night.info/day___night.html
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-7641004/stock-photo-material-satin-bedding-curtainbackground-smooth-silky-soft-textile-brown.html
http://www.poolmaninc.com/blog/2011/03/copper-water-and-fire-bowls/
http://cnyparty.com/
References